Easel clock and the like with interchangeable frames



y 2 1962 s. H. MARGULIES 3,045,960

EASEL CLOCK AND THE LIKE WITH INTERCHANGEABLE FRAMES Filed Oct. 26, 1960 STANLEY H. MARGULIES,

I INVENTOR,

ATTOR NEY United States Patent Ofifice 3,045,960 Patented July 24, 1952 3,045,960 EASEL CIJGEIK AND THE LIKE WITH INTERCHANGEABLE FRAMES Stanley H. Margulies, 182 Bennett Ave., New York, N.Y. Filed Oct. 26, 1960, Ser. No. 65,132 3 Claims. (Cl. 248117) The present invention relates to framed casings having a rearward leg so that they stand as an easel. These casings may house a clock, a barometer or other item presenting a front display face.

The principal object of this invention is to provide a novel and improved easel clock or the like, whose casing is through a panel which serves as its frame and where the easel leg serves to maintain the assembly. The easel leg being detachable, the frame panel may be changed for one of a different appearance as decor or caprice may dictate. The frame panel may be of plastic, glass, metal, wood, ceramic or other suitable materials, of any desired perimetral and surface contour and decoration.

Another object thereof is to provide a novel and improved easel-supported, framed casing for articles of the kind mentioned, which is simple in structure, reasonable in cost, easy to take apart and make replacements of the frame panel member and which is eflicient in carrying out the purposes for which it is designed.

Other objects and advantages will become apparent as this disclosure proceeds.

For the practice of this invention, the front end of the casing is provided with an outward flange or other stop means for the front surface of the panel. The easel leg is U-shaped and its distal ends are preferably bent inwardly to serve as pintles in holes in the casing behind said panel; said pintles bearing against the rear surface of the panel to maintain the assembly. The easel leg may be of wire having some resilient quality to facilitate disassembly. Other structural features may be included as will be explained and now I will give a detailed description of preferred forms of this invention.

In the accompanying drawing which forms part of this specification, similar characters of references indicate corresponding parts in all the views.

FIG. 1 is a side view of an easel clock embodying the teachings of this invention.

FIG. 2 is a side view of the clock included in FIG.1.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the frame panel included in FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the easel leg included in FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 is a rear view of the clock.

FIG. 6 is a front view of a clock whose casing is of a slightly modified construction.

FIG. 7 is a side view of FIG. 6.

FIG. 8 is an enlarged fragmentary view of a portion of 1, showing the hole in the casing for the legs pintle, tangent to the rear surface of the panel member.

FIGS. 9 and 10, are views like FIG. 8, but of modified constructions respectively.

FIG. 11 is a section taken at lines 11-11 in FIG. 4, but of a pintle structure for association in the set-up illustrated in FIG. 10.

FIG. 12 is a fragmentary view of an easel leg with a pintle structure of modified form.

FIG. 13 is a view like FIG. 8, but of the form for use with the leg having the pintle structure shown in FIG. 12.

FIG. 14 is a view like FIG. 13, showing the easel leg of FIG. 12 mounted.

In the drawing which shows preferred practices of this invention, the easel clock designated generally by the numeral 15, comprises the clock denoted generally by the numeral 16, a panel frame member 17 with a hole 17' there through so it may set as a collar on the clocks casing 13 and a U-shaped wire piece denoted generally by the numeral 19, which serves as an easel leg. The front end of the casing 18 has an outward flange :18 against which, the front face of the panel 17 bears. This flange acts as a stop and may be otherwise provided as for instance by having a number of laterally outward protuberances which might be the elements 2%, secured or fashioned at the front end of the clocks casing 18. The distal ends of the U-shaped wire leg 19, are bent inward to form the pintles 19 which set into the opposite holes 21 in the casing wall. These holes may be round for turning fit of the pintles and tangent to the rear face 17" of the panel, whereby the panel will be locked in place on the clocks casing 18. The wire piece 19 having some springiness, its arms may be sprung apart to remove it from the assembly and hence the panel 17 becomes free for removal and replacement.

Although made of the same thickness commercial stock, panel thickness will vary somewhat. So, to insure a good locking fit, the holes 21 may be overlapped somewhat by the panel member 17, as shown in FIG. 9, and of course, the wire stock used for the leg 19, will be suitably smaller than the hole dimeter to fit properly. For the conditions shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, the leg 19 is of round wire and may be swung against the rear surface of the panel 17 to attain compactness for packaging or carrying of the article 15. Where the folding feature is not necessary, a firmer locking may be attained by the use of a leg 22 which is of non-circular cross-section, square for instance, as in FIGS. 10, 11, to give surface contact with the back of the panel 17. If desired, the pintles 23 may be reduced as shown in FIG. 12, in which instance, the holes 24 therefor are in suitable position on the clocks casing 25 so that the bendin 26 bears against the rear surface of the panel 17 when the assembly is made as in FIG. 14.

As previously mentioned, the clock 16 may be sold with a number of panels of different appearance respectively,

and the user may employ any panel he may desire for the assembly 15, and change them from time to time.

This invention is capable of numerous forms and various applications without departing from the essential features herein disclosed. It is therefore intended and desired that the embodiments shown herein shall be deemed merely illustrative and not restrictive and that the patent shall cover all patentable novelty herein set forth; reference being had to the following claims rather than to the specific description herein to indicate the scope of this invention.

1 claim:

1. In an article of the character described, a panel having a hole therethrough, an object presenting a front display face, slidably fitted in said hole and extending rearwardly of the panel whereby said panel is a collar on said object and serves as a frame therefor; said object having opposite sides and a hole in each of said sides, protuberance structure extending laterally outwardly from said object in front of said panel and in contact with the front surface of such panel and a U-shaped leg member positioned behind said panel and extending in a direction rearwardly downwardly therefrom; the distal ends of said U- shape being inwardly bent to form aligned pintles; said pintles being releasably engaged in said holes in said object respectively; said pintles bearing against the rear surface of said panel whereby the panel is locked in place on said object; said leg member having some resilient quality and capable of being manually temporarily distorted to shift said pintles out of said holes to remove spaaeeo 3 said leg member, whereupon said panel is free for removal from said object.

2. An article as defined in claim 1, wherein said pintles are each of a cross-section so that the surface of each pintle contacting the rear surface of the panel, is fiat.

3. An article as defined in claim 1, wherein said holes are partially overlapped by the panel.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

